SMW 25

“When did you learn how to do that?”

“My grandma sent me. She said a person should know at least one skill to protect themselves. At first, I hated it because it was a hassle, but then she and my mom told me they’d both learned it, so I just went.”

“Your grandmother sounds cool.”

“She’s the one who raised me.”

The fierce aura Choi Seol had maintained throughout the conversation softened slightly. Seeing the respect glimmering in his tone and gaze, it was clear that they had cared for each other deeply. But to think she passed away so early, leaving Choi Seol behind. I felt that she must have found it hard to close her eyes in peace.

“It must have been really hard when your grandmother passed away.”

Choi Seol’s shoulders flinched. I thought he was suppressing his emotions while remembering the deceased. However, as the light hit his eyes, a darkness thicker than mere sadness emerged.

“Her heart was always weak. It got worse after that man appeared. He’s the one who practically killed his own daughter. Every time she saw him, she’d clutch her chest. I thought it was getting precarious, and then one day, I came home to find her collapsed in her room. When we got to the hospital, they said she needed surgery immediately.”

“…Don’t tell me you didn’t have the money for the surgery?”

A common cliché flashed through my mind, but fortunately, Choi Seol shook his head.

“We had money. Grandma had her own assets, and she was quite capable, so we never lived in lack. She probably would have lived if she’d had the surgery on time. But she couldn’t. The hospital suddenly pushed back the surgery schedule.”

“What? You said they told you she needed it right away.”

“At first, they did. But then the surgeon in charge suddenly had ‘business’ to attend to, or the preparations weren’t finished yet, or they needed more tests… They kept dragging it out and holding her back, and I thought it was strange, but eventually, that man appeared.”

Suddenly, a hypothesis occurred to me.

“Don’t tell me…”

“That man played a game.”

The thick darkness in Choi Seol’s eyes shifted entirely into rage.

“He set conditions in that miserable situation. He said if I just agreed, he would not only ensure the surgery happened but would spare no expense in supporting Grandma’s healthy recovery afterward. Then, as if he’d been waiting for this, he slid a contract across the table.”

“What were the conditions?”

“That I should come under him and act as his son.”

“That son of a…”

I wanted to let out a string of curses, but I stopped myself, thinking it wasn’t right to insult his biological father in front of Choi Seol. Perhaps sensing what I was about to say, Choi Seol gave a bitter smile.

“But in the end, Grandma passed away. And I held the funeral alone. That’s where the memory ends.”

The way he placed a calm period at the end of the sentence made my chest tighten. If I felt this way just listening to it, I couldn’t even imagine how the protagonist of the story felt.

“At the time, I thought I’d never get involved with that man again, but I guess I couldn’t escape.”

Choi Seol lowered his head. The hair falling over his forehead hid his expression, but I felt I knew exactly what face he was making without even looking.

The house they lived in was sold. The sanctuary he could have returned to at any time if his grandmother were alive had been sold by the man who called himself his father, and even his own well-being had been handed over. Could he endure that? I don’t think I could.

“Honestly, I’m afraid. The fact that I have a house and assets like that at my age feels like proof that I’m still living as that man’s lapdog.”

I couldn’t deny it. The Choi Seol I saw after ten years looked exactly like the scion of a conglomerate. The car, [Read on Read BL Novels]the clothes, the watch. The house we had to go to tomorrow was in a neighborhood where those kinds of people lived. At [Read on Read BL Novels]twenty-seven, such wealth was not easy to obtain unless one was born with a silver spoon. Therefore, if he returned, the likelihood of encountering that biological father was inevitably high.

“Should we just not go?”

There was no way to describe it other than an impulse. As I froze, surprised by my own words, Choi Seol met my eyes. His expression was not different from mine. The only addition was a faint glimmer of anticipation within it. Seventeen-year-old Choi Seol was so easy to read; why had he been so opaque back then?

“Just… if you don’t want to go, let’s not. If someone was waiting for you at home, they would have filed a missing person’s report by now. Even if a report is filed later, Hae-sook-i Noona is a police officer, so she’ll find you quickly.”

“Does that mean it’s okay for me to live at your house?”

“Well… only until you fully recover your memories?”

In truth, my rational mind was screaming at me to stop right here. But I had neither the confidence nor the desire to take back the words I’d already spoken. I was too weak when it came to Choi Seol. To be precise, I didn’t have the heart to leave the seventeen-year-old Choi Seol in a place he hated. All I did was have a one-sided crush, so why was it so hard to cut this one tie? It was quite a heavy crime indeed.

Still, everything would be resolved once Choi Seol regained his memories. Though heaven knows when that would be.

“And why don’t you try trusting yourself a bit more?”

Choi Seol looked puzzled by my words.

“You said it too. That you’re not the type to just let people walk all over you. Besides, you were good at everything, including studying. And that was the result of your effort, waking up at dawn and all. So, isn’t [Read on Read BL Novels]it entirely [visit our site]possible for someone like you to be that successful at your age? You never know. Maybe you actually earned the money for that house and those assets yourself.”

I wasn’t just saying it; I meant it. Even at seventeen, he was a guy who was confident in everything, and I could tell from his arrogant gaze and behavior just how capable he had become over the last ten years.

“Even if you didn’t, this comes from my ten years of experience: you’re very bold. You don’t look like the type who’s lived his life being intimidated or obediently listening to others.”

“…Is that a compliment?”

“Of course. I bet the twenty-seven-year-old Choi Seol is currently planning how to screw that man over. Or maybe he’s already doing it.”

Choi Seol suddenly let out a chuckle. He lifted his lowered head. As he straightened his slumped and curled shoulders, the confident Choi Seol I had described returned.

“I am definitely quite impressive.”

“Wow.”

I was speechless at the sudden change in attitude.

“Isn’t your recovery a bit too fast?”

“Why? Do you suddenly want to cancel the part about living together?”

“No, it’s not that, but…”

“Han Yeo-reum. You should take responsibility for what you said.”

There was an irresistible power embedded in his soothing voice. Choi Seol braced his hands on the table and stood up. As he leaned his upper body toward me across the small table, the distance closed in an instant. Because he suddenly thrust his face close, I shrank back, clutching the water bottle.

“Wh-what are you doing?”

“Let me be clear: you’re the one who reached out first.”

“Reached out? I didn’t reach out… Hey, but you’re too close…”

“So, I’m never letting go.”

Oh my god, why is he suddenly like this? Come to think of it, this guy seemed to have certain trigger points where he just snapped. Does he have a split personality? I don’t think he was like this before. That biological father guy must have ruined the kid’s personality.

“What do you mean you won’t let go? It’s not like we’re even holding hands.”

“Shall we hold them now?”

“No, uh, forget it.”

I tried to brush it off as a joke, but that didn’t work either. Choi Seol pouted, as if something was displeasing him.

“You grabbed hold of me so readily at first.”

“I didn’t… no, wait, you were the one who grabbed me first.”

Just as I was resolving to recount the events in the examination room in detail if he couldn’t remember, Choi Seol murmured lowly.

“That’s because you were trying to throw me away.”

I blinked slowly.

“Throw you away?”

“You tried to throw me away at first.”

I was speechless. Was this a continuation of the conversation they had outside?

“When did I?”

“I heard you told them you didn’t know me at the hospital.”

In that moment, my past actions flashed through my mind with the speed of light. And the first words I had said to the nurse.

I don’t know this person.

Only then did my conscience sting as if pierced by a sharp needle. This is what he meant by “don’t throw me away”? To think he was actually talking about me; I had thought it was just a trauma from his family history popping up. While I was flustered by this unexpected twist, I was also curious how he knew. Those words were definitely spoken while Choi Seol was unconscious.

“Wh-who told you that?”

“The police officer next door.”

Seriously, why would Noona say that? Besides, when did those two even have time to talk about this? Since it had come to this, my only option was to insist until the end.

“No, I really didn’t know back then…”

“But I recognized you at a glance.”

“Hahaha, I just have a very youthful face, you know?”

“I don’t think my face has changed that much either.”

Choi Seol moved his face even closer. Even though we must have used the same toiletries, the scent of his skin, mixed with his deep natural fragrance, wafted heavily, unable to be hidden by a thin gown.

“Did you really not recognize me?”

Even at seventeen, there were a few times I had seen Choi Seol this close. They were fleeting moments, but occasionally they surfaced as vividly as if they were painted before my eyes.

I observed Choi Seol from a distance so close that our breaths mingled. How could I not recognize him? The lines that had been nothing but sharp had simply been overlaid with the emotions of time, making him more mature and perfect; Choi Seol still looked like Choi Seol. That alone was suffocating.

Fearing my emotions might be exposed, I lowered my gaze, only to find an even greater trial before me. Because he had leaned forward to meet my eyes, the front of his gown, which he couldn’t hold closed, had gaped open significantly. His bare skin was far too visible. Because we were so close, I felt as if I could count every single ripple of muscle as his chest rose and fell with his breathing.

“Han Yeo-reum. Where are you looking right now?”

It was the moment I snapped my head up at the breath touching my ear.

Something warm and soft touched my lips.

“…”

“…”

As we stared at each other, unable to say a word, the doorbell rang.

“Room service is here.”

“I’ll get it.”

Choi Seol stood up first. Gently pressing down on my shoulder as I tried to follow, he walked toward the entrance. I stared blankly at his back and then raised my hand to my lips. Perhaps because of the air conditioning, the skin felt dry.

But just now, it had been very moist. And soft.

Though it was only for an instant, I could feel the moment lips met lips.

It was an accident. A mistake neither of them had intended.

“All the food you ordered is here. Since it’s a set, there are quite a few beers…”

“Give me a beer.”

I grabbed a beer glass from the trolley Choi Seol had pulled in and brought it straight to my mouth. Only after draining the glass in one gulp did Choi Seol’s bewildered face finally enter my sight.